In Egypt's 'Garbage City', charity teaches children to recycle garbage

Teresa Saeed

Founder of charity "Mesaha" Teresa Saeed on March 17, 2023 working with children to collect materials from rubbish to recycle in Cairo's "Garbage City" in Manshiyat Nasser, Cairo Egypt. PHOTO | HANA HABIB | REUTERS

As a child growing up in Cairo's Manshiyat Nasser, a shanty town also known as "Garbage City", Teresa Saeed spent her free time rummaging through the piles of rubbish strewn everywhere to find paper and materials to indulge her love of drawing and painting.

Now 34, she runs a charity that encourages children in the area to make creative and positive use of their environment by exploring the space and recycling.

In Manshiyat Nasser, a neighbourhood of unpainted brick buildings east of Central Cairo, many streets and buildings are piled high with rubbish collected from across the metropolis and processed or recycled informally.

Egypt plastic waste

A worker on December 8, 2022 sort shredded plastic waste at a workshop of Egypt's startup company "TileGreen", where it is recycled into eco-friendly interlocking tiles used in outdoor walkways. PHOTO | AHMED HASAN | AFP

"The whole idea is that these children are constantly surrounded with recycling. Why not teach them how to recycle in a way that reduces our consumption and benefits society?" she said.

Saeed's charity Mesaha, the Arabic word for space, runs weekly recycling activities for 150-200 children aged 6-15.

In two-day workshops, the children gather plastic bottles, sticks, cardboard, paper as well as cans, and transform them into piggy banks, musical instruments, puzzles or paintings.

"These activities help children connect with their environment and think outside the box. Instead of being angry at my surrounding environment, how can I do something that adds value to it?" Saeed said.

Saeed hopes to expand the project to other areas in Egypt.

"I dream that those children will grow to be leaders of change in their future professions or wherever they go," she said.